Cenia Paredes > www.ceniany.com

Cenia Paredes, Designer/Founder, Cenia New York

What do you need to be an entrepreneur? 

Risk taker, innovator, passionate, proactive, persistent, disciplined, hard working.

What did inspire you to start your business?
To be able to write my own destiny

How did you finance it?
With my personal savings and when that ran out my partner stepped in and helpped

Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business? 
Absolutely. Growing up in Latin America definitely plays a major roll in my character, principles and values and allowed me to appreciate more the opportunities that America has to offer.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
By focusing on solutions rather than the problem, learning from the situation and immediately thinking of a plan to overcome it.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced? 
Getting off the ground in the midst of recession

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
I would have started to delegate more from early on

What was your childhood ambition?
To be a renowned fashion designer

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire? 
Oprah, Bill gates, Steve Jobs

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner? 
Lunch

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success? 
Innumerable. In order to be able to graduate fashion school while being a single mother, and launch my own line while working full time for another company, I worked 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, so I did not have a social life for years but the hardest part was not to be able to spend as much time with my children as I wanted.

What is your favorite quote?
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt 

Is it difficult to be unconventional? 
It is indeed. You can be misinterpreted at times and can also raise some eyebrows as well.

Biggest mistake made?
Not doing my homework and act only on instict. There has to be synergy between the two.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
Absolutely! By attempting to offer an alternative to what’s been traditionally offered in market, women’s clothing in 4 distinctive fits

About the Company

Cenia Paredes, a native of the Dominican Republic grew up in family dedicated almost entirely to the fine art of dress making. Cenia graduated Summa cum Laude from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in 2004. She then worked in New York's competitive fashion district for various renowned brands, but always kept her dream of designing her own line as her ultimate goal. In 2009, Cenia launched her first ready to wear collection, a clothing line that not only represented her vision and design sensibility, that would also help real women look their best no matter what shape.

Cenia blends inspiration from her Latin roots with her American influence to create a modern contemporary look that appeals to today's modern woman. Her sensibility for detail, choice of fabrication and her bold exclusive prints have set her apart as a raising star in New York's fashion scene.

In 2011, Cenia was chosen among 900 companies as one of the 22 participants of The Workshop At Macy’s, and she was one of 4 vendors chosen to launch her product in selected stores in the June’12. Since then, Cenia has been shipping Macy’s stores in Florida, California, US’ Central and the East Coast and Puerto Rico.

Links:

www.ceniany.com  

www.facebook.com/ceniany?ref=hl

www.twitter.com/CeniaNY

www.youtube.com/user/CeniaNewYorkTV?feature=mhee

Britta Aragon > www.cvskinlabs.com

Britta Aragon, Natural Beauty Expert, Author, Cancer Survivor and Creator and Founder of CV Skinlabs

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
Passion. I think if you’re going to pursue your own business, this is the most important thing to have. Passion will give you the energy and stamina to get the business off the ground, and will also help you sustain through the ups and downs that are bound to come along. As for where that passion comes from, I think it needs to be from a strong sense of purpose. For me, my business was a way to honor my father’s legacy, and to give back to the cancer community—two things that mean a lot to me. 

What did inspire you to start your business?
Seeing people like my father struggle with skin conditions like rashes, dryness, dullness, acne, burning, itching—all these things can be not only irritating and painful, but they can completely wreck a person’s self-confidence.

I watched my father, who was a strong, self-assured, extremely capable person, become concerned about showing his face when he suffered from an awful rash caused by chemotherapy. It affects people a lot more than we realize, and I think it’s an outrage that many people are suffering these problems because of the questionable ingredients used in standard personal care products. I wanted to increase awareness about the toxins we’re exposed to every day, and offer people a better solution. 

How did you finance it?
We are self-funded right now, and have just launched our first crowdfunding campaign. (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/toxins-harm-skin-we-need-you-to-fight-back-with-cv-skinlabs-safe-skin-care)  
Our goal is to raise $65,000 to create a sampling program in hospitals across the nation, where we can help those with sensitive skin and conditions like eczema, redness, and chronic dryness. Our products are free of irritating and toxic chemicals, and people with sensitive, fragile skin can use them to repair and recover with complete peace of mind. 

Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business?
In positive ways, yes. First of all, the name of my business, Cinco Vidas, of course means “five lives” in Spanish. That is a tribute to the five times my father renewed his commitment to life while going through cancer. He was initially diagnosed with colon cancer, but then he went through five recurrences of the disease in different parts of his body. His enduring courage in facing each of those occurrences was so inspiring to me. I also feel that because of my Hispanic heritage, I have a connection with others who share that heritage, and I understand the benefits and the challenges of that.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
It comes back to purpose. After I went through cancer and later lost my father to the disease, I knew that my purpose was to make a difference for other people going through similar challenges—whether from cancer or from battling a variety of skin conditions. I wanted to teach people how to reduce their toxic load by making better choices about their personal care products, home care products, and environment—how to live healthier lives all around. So really, this is about my purpose in life.

It’s just not something that I can stop doing or quit doing. It’s about my life path, and my reason for being here, so even though I may go through difficulties, which of course I do, there’s just no quitting for me.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
We are a small business, so we face the same challenge that all small businesses face, and that is to find the funding and the distribution needed to really expand and reach our target market. We have accomplished a lot already, but I want to go further. I want to get our non-toxic products out globally, and I want to continue to educate people about the toxins in their products and their environment. So until our reach grows broad enough to sustain us, we face the challenge of funding our endeavors.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
I would make it bigger and more well-known at a global level. We have amazing products that work and are helping so many but we need to get the word out to the masses.  I would like every person with sensitive skin, a difficult skin condition, reactive skin—or who just wants non-toxic skincare—to know about CV Skinlabs.  

What was your childhood ambition?
I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 16. After I went into remission, I wanted to be an oncologist, because I wanted to save everyone from this horrible disease. As I grew older, my passion changed. Instead of curing the skin, I became obsessed with making it look fantastic. Both my grandma and mother took very good care of themselves, and both had beautiful, even skin. My mom still does. So that was a big influence on me. Growing up, my grandmother insisted I wear sunscreen every day and that I take proper care of my skin. She even bought me my sunblock product and eye cream at the age of 15.

I guess all of these experiences lead me to the beauty industry. I became a makeup artist and skincare therapist to help people look their best—which usually made them feel their best, too. It’s poetic, really, that through beauty, I am helping people feel good during their cancer journey, or through other difficulties in life that affect their skin.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?
Richard Branson is an entrepreneur that  I admire. He has a huge empire, is committed to making a difference, and has done so at a global level.

I’m a huge admirer of Louise Hay. Not only is she a cancer survivor, but she overcame incredible life challenges to make a success of herself, eventually becoming founder of Hay House publishing, which produces so many helpful books for people. Whatever one might think of her beliefs, she has been a strong and powerful woman in our culture, reaching out to help people living with cancer and AIDS, and helping us realize that our health depends just as much on the condition of our minds and spirits as on our physical bodies.

Lastly, Shanda Sumpter is an amazing coach and entrepreneur who teaches women how to find their passion and make money. What is most inspiring is that she is successful, makes a difference in people’s lives, and still lives a life filled with joy and passion, herself. It seems this is a hard balance to keep for most entrepreneurs and she has got what most of us want.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Lunch definitely! Breakfast is my time to nourish myself and set my attitude for the day, so I cherish that morning time as private time—and I always have the same thing for breakfast: a green smoothie! It’s really my sacred time. Dinner is usually spent with friends, and I use that time to de-stress and to reconnect to who I am, outside of work. So lunch is my time to really focus on my business and my business connections, a time when I’m all in and pumped up about what we’re accomplishing—but that’s only because I had my private morning breakfast and my fun, stress-relieving dinner! (ha)

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
I think the biggest sacrifice is time, and a side effect of that can be my health, if I’m not careful. Running a business is all-consuming, and you can really start to neglect your body and your spirit. I preach safe self-care to my blog readers and my customers, so I have to walk the walk, you know? I regularly remind myself that my life is multi-faceted, and includes my work, but also my health and my spiritual well being.

I have had to learn to fully trust that all will work out—even if I don’t quite see how at the time—and to delegate tasks that I don’t absolutely have to do myself. Time is my biggest commodity, and while at first I had to put in most of that time myself, I know that it’s critical to delegate to be able to grow the business the way I want to.

What is your favorite quote?
Feel the fear and do it anyway! This was the title of one of my dad’s favorite books by Susan Jeffers. He passed it on to me, and I have shared it with so many of my friends. I have yet to ever regret doing something that I was a little afraid of doing. Like they say, you usually regret the things you don’t do more than those you do, so I try to make a point to continually challenge myself, as that’s the way we grow. 

Is it difficult to be unconventional?
It can be, at times, but anything worth doing is usually difficult. Going against the grain can put you out there, and you have to be willing to withstand some criticism at times, but if that’s what it takes to accomplish your goals, then it’s much better to do that than to sit back and stay safe and then regret it later on.

Biggest mistake made?
My biggest mistakes invariably occur when I ignore my own instincts. If I listen too much to the “experts,” I can sometimes ignore the “inner expert” that guides me. I find that though it’s important to listen to others, in the end, you must go with your gut.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
I do, and not because I’m smarter or more talented than anyone else, but because the work I’ve chosen to do is something that needs to be done, and no one else is really focusing on in quite the same way that I am. I have a unique background to draw on, since I experienced cancer as both a fighter and a caregiver. I also saw first-hand the effect that today’s conventional ingredients can have on fragile skin, when I bought a supposedly “sensitive” high-end cream that actually burned my father’s irritated skin even more.

I felt so awful about that I was compelled to do the research, discover the problem, and set out to fix it, with the goal of making sensitive skin care much more nourishing and soothing than it has been up until now. Other companies are talking about natural and organic products, but no one’s really focusing on fragile, damaged, medically treated skin and how many standard ingredients can actually make it worse.

About the Company
I started CInco Vidas with The Cinco Vidas blog, a robust information source for people struggling with sensitive and damaged skin, and for those going through the difficult side effects of cancer treatments. Next, I wrote my book, When Cancer Hits, which is a guide for the newly diagnosed, and includes information on how to manage side effects, how to avoid harmful toxins, how to use skin care and makeup to look your best, and how to increase your odds of avoiding recurrence. Actres and President of Cancer Schmancer Fran Drescher said of the book, “There are lots of experts in the field, but advice from one who went through it herself is invaluable. I wish this book had existed during my own battle.”

Last year, I created my new skin care line, CV Skinlabs. This is a natural and organic collection of luxuriously soothing and clinically proven formulas that nurture and repair skin. Each product delivers outstanding beauty benefits and proven results, with an unprecedented, new standard of safety, every step of the way. The range of carefully formulated products can be used with peace of mind by all—particularly by those with sensitive or compromised skin, chemical sensitivities, or conditions such as eczema and chronic dryness, to name a few.

• We help restore skin to its healthy, radiant best, with renewed softness, suppleness and a youthful glow.

• We insist on the utmost in safety, by toxicologically examining and screening all ingredients for any link to irritation, cancer or hormone disruption, and by conducting results-driven, rigorous clinical testing.

• We adhere to strict formula safety guidelines and standards, making sure not to use any ingredients from an extensive list of potentially harmful thickeners, preservatives and aesthetic enhancers, often found in conventional skin care products.

Our goal is to always deliver beauty and safety, without compromise.

CV Skinlabs was created by safe cosmetic expert and author, Britta Aragon, who after failing to find safe, nourishing skin care products to soothe her own and her father’s troubled skin during cancer treatments, developed a skincare line for anyone seeking safe solutions to repair and restore radiance and luminosity to sensitive skin.

Websites: www.cincovidas.com and www.cvskinlabs.com
Twitter: @Britta_Aragon and @CVskinlabs

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CVskinlabs

Linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/britta-aragon/12/b56/411

Nhora Barrera Murphy > www.tmncorp.com

Nhora Barrera Murphy, CEO, TMN

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?

For me the most important aspect is “attitude.” I am a positive person and always try to see the good side even at bad times. Setting goals and applying myself to them with discipline and persistence has been a basic aspect of my career.  My goals have all been based on strategic planning to help me reach measurable goals.  Clients are an intrinsically part of my planning.  We know our clients and strive to service them with personalized attention tailoring each program to their needs and objectives.

What did inspire you to start your business? 

My career was leading me more and more to do outreach and to work on social issues. My understanding of the gaps, barriers and needs that Hispanics were facing in health care were my motivation to start the company.  Our work is very rewarding and an inspiration not only for me for my staff.

How did you finance it? 

Savings and loans backed up with personal property.

Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business? 

In my line of business YES, it’s had a big influence. I have focused my career to reach out Hispanics in the U.S. with culturally-appropriate messages through national communication programs with a social component that are aimed to educate Hispanic community about health, traffic safety, environment and educational issues. The principles and methodologies used have helped me to expand into other areas.  As my business has grown, we have learned that underserved markets have many of the same needs.  So we have expanded our business and our staff to serve many ethnic groups.  The goal is to empower these groups to gain the tools to achieve the American Dream. 

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going? 

I just move on and look at the big spectrum in the horizon. How I see or perceive the adversity will model the approach that that I will take on the situation; therefore, I try to find the best out of adversity and turn it into something positive or a lesson learned. At some points, it is important to step back before you leap forward.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced? 

Buying my partner out and refocusing the company to achieve my business goals.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be? 

I wish I had the knowledge I now have when I started and I wish I had a business mentor.

What was your childhood ambition? 

The business world was always fascinating to me.  I didn’t have an exact idea or role in mind, it evolved with time.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?

1.      Steve Jobs: I admire his charisma, innovation and vision that ultimately changed the computer industry.

2.      Barbara Corcoran: Her story is inspiring. So is the self confidence it took her to build a 6 billon dollar company. I also admire her willingness to share of her wisdom with other entrepreneurs.

3.      Oprah Winfrey: I admire her determination to achieve what she wants and her commitment to helping others.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner? 

I am flexible, but I prefer lunch or dinner. 

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success? 

Family. I had to sacrifice quality time with my youngest son during his early years.

What is your favorite quote? 

I like following quote because I think no one person can build a successful business alone. My team is committed, dedicated and truly believe in what we do.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Henry Ford

Biggest mistake made? 

I don’t like to categorize mistakes by size because what you could feel and call a big mistake at a particular time in your life may be meaningless in the present. The most important thing is to learn from the mistake. There is a lot of opportunity in starting and growing a business to make mistakes.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why? 

Yes, if you do not change, reinvent, and adapt you will not succeed. To stay in business you must innovate constantly.

Company Description:
TMNcorp is a full-service communications firm in Silver Spring, MD that provides innovative solutions in marketing, branding, strategic communications and social awareness through expertly coordinated media.

Founded in 1999, TMN excels in creating and implementing national, regional, and local campaigns for general and multicultural audiences. We believe our team’s combination of high quality research and multi‐faceted media experience; coupled with a solid understanding of community dynamics, sets us apart from other traditional communications, research, public relations, and advertising companies.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tmncorp

Twitter:  @TMNcorp

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/61360?trk=tyah

Sebastian Aroca > www.hispanicmarketadvisors.com

Sebastian Aroca, Owner & Founder, Hispanic Market Advisors®

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?

To be an entrepreneur, one needs many virtues and qualities. Among some of the most important for me are (listing four pairs): initiative & commitment, creativity & integrity, determination & focus, and perseverance & assertiveness.

What did inspire you to start your business?

United States is the country of innovation and opportunities, if not here where else to put an idea into motion and start a business? Three things inspired me to start my own business: 1/ the ability to create what I want as a way of self-expression, 2/ the ability to grow at my own pace, 3/ the access to valuable resources for start-ups and small business owners (SBA, Score, Chambers of Commerce, organizations supporting Minority-Owned Businesses, etc)

How did you finance it?

I founded Hispanic Market Advisors ® in 2007. I started translating websites from English to Spanish in the computer labs of Florida International University, in Miami. With a simple desire to grow a niche market by helping brands and small- and medium-sized companies connect with the online Hispanic market.  Six years later, Hispanic Market Advisors ® provides translation and search engine marketing services (Hispanic search engine optimization + paid search engine advertising), to both the private and public sectors, and we remain committed to expanding the company gradually and organically, never sacrificing quality for the sake of profits.

Being Hispanic… Does it have any influence on your business?

Yes, it does. I am proud of being of Hispanic descent, and I see and feel my Hispanic Heritage as a plus, not a minus. Like the Univision video “The New American Reality,” says, Bilingualism and Biculturalism is a Plus!

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?

In the face of adversity, what keeps me going is the Vision I set for the company. I want Hispanic Market Advisors® to become the specialized agency of choice from both the private and public sector when it comes to English to Spanish translations and Latino SEO/SEM. At the same time, I want our efforts to also contribute to the Hispanic community by enabling Latinos to become more technologically savvy. Hispanic Market Advisors® is currently designing a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program with two other organizations to boost computer literacy among US Hispanics. This initiative, besides the positive social impact, will help our company because the more Hispanics living in the United States know how to use a computer and search online, the bigger the pie will be for our clients, and the bigger the pie for our clients, the more our online marketing services will be in demand…

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

The biggest challenge is to manage the business through growth, transitioning from freelancer and independent contractor to a small business owner. At Hispanic Market Advisors®, after almost 6 years since we started in 2007, as previously mentioned, we remain committed to expanding the company gradually and organically, never sacrificing quality for the sake of profits. However, when we need to incorporate someone else to the team, a new intern, employee or contractor, there are complications that arise, for I tend to find myself overworking during the process and creating work-life imbalance that can be difficult to manage until things settle.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be? 

I would invest more time being proactive and less reactive. One example, I would do more when it comes to building the infrastructure of my business’ operations: would create more manuals, processes, and training videos. In other words, setting up a structure that then can work for me, and not the other way around. Because I am financially conservative when it comes to my business, it’s hard for me to decide to use a loan or line of credit to hire new talent, for instance. So far, I have financed my small business with profits, and the idea of using debt rather than profit to finance growth is a hard paradigm for me to break, but one that I am learning to become savvier about finding the right mix.

What was your childhood ambition?

Creating something meaningful, something that could outlive me. I am on that process: my small business.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?

I have many, but I will name three from the technology industry because that is where I am. Guy Kawasaki (The Art of the Start), Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg… and of course, Bill Gates!

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Whatever works. I adapt well. However, if I had to choose, probably breakfast, I am a morning person; besides the sooner I get things done the better for me!

What is your favorite quote?

Our mantra: "We do the impossible everyday and perform miracles for our clients and partners upon special request!"

Is it difficult to be unconventional?

I think to be an entrepreneur one needs to be unconventional to some degree. After all, when one is starting anything, especially a business, there’s an energy that breaks through old patterns and accepted ways of doing things (status quo), whether is through a new product, service or simply a better and more optimized way of doing the same thing.

Biggest mistake made?

In the journey of creating a business, mistakes are unavoidable. The biggest one, probably not having connected sooner with senior business mentors that can provide valuable perspective for having already walked the path I am on. Although I have a few business mentors now, I wish I could have reached out to them sooner.

Do you consider yourself an innovator?

Yes, I am constantly thinking about innovative ways to add value to my clients’ businesses. It’s not unusual, for instance, that when I go to a Business Conference, I find myself focused on discovering ideas that will make my clients’ businesses more successful.

Why?

I love the creation process. I like Product/Service Development. Specifically, I like to develop new services that can connect innovative and impactful brands with the Latino market.

About the company

Hispanic Market Advisors® is a boutique company focused on connecting brands with Hispanic Internet users. Our main services are English to Spanish translations and Latino SEO/SEM, and they are geared towards supporting companies of all sizes to tap into (and reap the growth of) the Latin American and US Hispanic market.

Anthony Rosa, CEO, www.gseafg.com

 

Anthony Rosa, CEO, GSEA Fashion Group, LLC.

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
Passion and a relentless determination to succeed.

 

What did inspire you to start your business?
Control.

How did you finance it?
We are still in the process of financing our factory’s growth; however, the company was built on a combination of personal savings, family and friends.

 

Being hispanic - does it have any influence on my business?
Not necessarily since apparel is a global business; however, I will say that my culture defines the way I run my business - with much passion.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
My faith carries me throughout any and all adversity.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
Balancing USA Sales with Peru Operations.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
I wouldn’t change anything…yet.

 

What was your childhood ambition?
Since I was a child I always wanted to play professional basketball. Fell short of that goal, but who knows, maybe one day I will find my way there through another door…maybe by designing and merchandising for the NBA.

 

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?
Amancio Ortega – controlled the supply chain, created an empire - Zara.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Either one, but if I had to go in order of preference… lunch, breakfast then dinner.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
Time with family – can’t ever get that back, which is why I work as hard on balancing my life as I do trying to grow the business.

What is your favorite quote?
Do not have one

 

Is it difficult to be unconventional?
I think so. Going against the current on a daily basis is not easy, it challenges your will to succeed every day.

Biggest mistake made?
Trying to grow too quickly, taking on accounts bigger than what our factory could handle.

Do you consider yourself an innovator?
Not so much an innovator as the apparel manufacturing business has been around long before I was born and will continue on long after my time is up, but I do consider our approach to controlling our supply chain to be different.

About the Company:
GSEA Fashion Group is a Full Service Fashion House for an expanding family of fashion-forward brands with its Apparel Manufacturing Plant in Lima, Peru.GSEA Fashion Group produces Premium Better Basics and Novelty Tops including, but not limited to: T-Shirts, Polos, Fleece, Dresses and more... Direct-Access to the World's Finest Luxury Peruvian Pima Cotton separates us from competitors.

Website: www.gseafg.com  / Facebook: www.facebook.com/gseafg

Anthony Rosa, CEO, www.gseafg.com

GSEA Fashion Group from GSEA Fashion Group - NYC on Vimeo.

Kevin Kilpatrick > Constru-Guía

Kevin Kilpatrick, Founder and President, The Cloud Peak Firm & Constru-Guia

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?

I am convinced that you either are built to be an entrepreneur or you are not.  You have to be a dreamer, a hard worker and stubborn.

What inspired you to start your business?

I worked at The Home Depot from 2001 to 2004 and then started a marketing firm serving the home improvement and construction industry. It was while working with a client that is a major power tool manufacturer that I began analyzing the demographic statistics about construction professionals, I saw a huge opportunity to develop a media company providing helpful content for male Hispanic construction professionals and business owners of home improvement, gardening, and building maintenance businesses.

How did you finance it?

Fortunately, I didn’t require any financing. My advertising partners trusted me and believed in my vision. Their generosity helped me to launch the magazine in 2007.

Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business?

I’m not Hispanic and, in fact, no hablo español, but I saw the opportunity to help Hispanic contractors and workers with high-quality professional tips. Our team at Constru-Guía is excited to provide our magazine readers with high-quality professional guidance in Spanish. And now, we offer this content in both English and Spanish on the newly re-launched bi-lingual MiConstruguia.com [link to: http://www.miconstruguia.com/] where users can toggle between English and Spanish-language articles.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?

The Constru-Guía brand is what feeds my family. All I need for inspiration is to look at my kids as I tuck them in bed each night. 

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

Without question the recession and housing crises affected our industry like nobody could have ever predicted.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?

This a challenging question. I truly can’t think of one thing I would change. I have a great team that I get to work with every day and we have readers of the magazine and website and listeners to our daily radio tips that like the content we produce and they tell us constantly how we are helping them. 

What was your childhood ambition?

I have always wanted to work in the marketing/advertising/public relations industry.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?

All three are readers that I have been fortunate to meet through the magazine.  These guys amaze me. They are so smart and full of ingenuity.  They are on the job site during the day and then running their businesses at night.  Every time when I think I have it rough I think of these guys and it puts everything in perspective.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Breakfast with a big cup of coffee

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?

You can never take any time off.  Each vacation I have taken since launching my business I have my Blackberry attached to my hip and find myself doing a couple hours of work each day. However, don’t get me wrong, I love my business and will gladly give up vacations for it.

What is your favorite quote?

A wise old owl sat in an oak,

The more he saw the less he spoke,

The less he spoke the more he heard,

Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?

Is it difficult to be unconventional?

At times, yes. For us we are unconventional in the sense our magazine is given away and we don’t have a large subscription list. It takes us some time and energy to explain to media buyers the benefit to this unconventional distribution system.

Biggest mistake made?

Trying to grow too quickly.  We had a very large national retailer that saw our success with the magazine distribution at Home Depot and offered to carry the magazine in 2,000+ of their stores. I was game for the additional distribution, but my advertising partners didn’t have the appetite for the growth explosion.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?

Yes, because an innovator has to see an opportunity, take ideas/solutions that currently exist in the marketplace, twist it into something new, and then go for it. That’s what we did at Constru-Guía…create something new in Spanish for the Hispanic market but based on media vehicles that existed in English.  

Add here a brief description of your company

Constru-Guía al día® is a quarterly Spanish-language magazine, the largest construction magazine in the U.S. regardless of language, and a bi-lingual English/Spanish website. Constru-Guía focuses on job-site safety, the latest building techniques, new products/services, lifestyle, financial, health and wellness information. Our distribution is over 325,000 in 1,100 Home Depot stores nationwide and over 150 national convenience stores, including 7-Eleven, in the top U.S. Hispanic markets, a 7% increase in total circulation from 2012. 

Vivian R. Isaak > www.magnumgroupinc.com

Vivian R. Isaak, President, Magnum Group, Inc.

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
Vision, passion, determination, and the ability to lead with your heart.

What inspired you to start your business?
My passion for languages and the need to raise my son on my own.

How did you finance it?
I did not have any seed money to start the business. When Magnum was 5 years old, we procured an SBA loan of $25,000 to buy equipment.

Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business?
I grew up in Argentina. The connection with the Western Hemisphere is part of my heritage, a personality trait that influences my business as well as my personal life.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
Adversity gives us the chance to regroup and change. I take it as a challenge to find new ways of growing the business.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
After September 11, one of our clients cancelled a major contract. The challenge was to bring in new business during a time of national crisis while keeping the number of employees intact and the banks happy.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
I would grow the business faster.

What was your childhood ambition?
Work for the United Nations.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?
Lee Iacocca, Golda Meir, Leonardo da Vinci

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
I like to schedule business meetings on or about 11:30 am. The timeframe allows for ample time to address business issues at the office and a smooth transition to a relaxed meal at one of the wonderful restaurants in our area.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
I sacrificed week-ends and vacation time.

What is your favorite quote?
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. Mark Twain

Is it difficult to be unconventional?
Difficult? It’s fun!!!

Biggest mistake made?
Sacrificing week-ends and vacation time.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why
More than an innovator, I consider myself an inspired rainmaker. I can make things happen.

About Magnum

Magnum Group is a leading provider of a full range of services designed to support global business communications and help you zoom in on the linguistic needs of a global audience: technical and medical translations from and into most languages; linguistic consulting; multilingual desktop publishing; website localization; multilingual versioning of corporate and industrial videos, PSAs and commercials; subtitling; videoconferencing; e-learning, conference interpreters and equipment. Magnum Group works with a worldwide network of certified translators, editors, and subject matter experts in various fields to meet the highest quality standards.

Alex & María Martínez > www.i9sports.com

Alex & María Martínez, Owners, i9 Sports Franchise Miami, FL

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?
For us, it was important to join an established franchise business that allowed us to operate as independent business owners. The i9 Sports home office gives us phenomenal support and allows us to run our business in a way that fits our local community – the perfect combination in our mind.
We also have a business coach that has been assigned to us by the home office who has directly contributed to our success. Our coach has helped us build our territory, market our business, and get our foot in the door with schools and other youth organizations who can drive registrations. Additionally, we are surrounded by a great network of franchisees in the Miami area who are always willing to share success stories and best practices.
Between the established franchisees, our business coach, and the i9 Sports home office, we couldn’t have been better trained or more prepared to operate our own business. From the beginning, everyone involved with i9 Sports has been more than willing to help us solve problems and grow our business.

What inspired you to start your business?
Quite simply, my husband, Alex, and I wanted to own our own business. We wanted more control and the flexibility to create our schedule around family priorities.
When we looked into owning a business, we determined that joining a franchise business was our best bet. And, considering Alex’s background in youth sports and community groups and my career helping young children as a school social worker, i9 Sports was the perfect fit for us.

How did you finance it?
We were lucky enough to be able to fund our franchise without taking out a loan or using any of our 401k funds. Alex and I had been planning to launch our own business for years and due in large part to i9 Sports’ affordable franchise ownership cost, we were able to fund our franchise with our joint savings and inheritance money passed down from family members.

Being Hispanic… Does it have any influence on your business?
Living in Miami, our Hispanic heritage and Spanish-speaking skills are vital components of our success. Many of our participating families and customers are Hispanic and are more comfortable speaking Spanish than English. Our Hispanic heritage allows us to relate and connect with families interested in our leagues much more effectively than other business owners who don’t share that heritage.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
We’ve been lucky, actually, and haven’t faced a lot of adversity or roadblocks as we’ve built this business. The i9 Sports business is relatively recession-proof and we truly understand how to market our business in the Miami area. This is our home – we know these people and often share similar backgrounds and cultural tastes, so it’s easier to market to and sell to our customers.
However, it hasn’t come easy – we’ve had to hustle and fight for our business and our livelihood. The adversity, though, is minimized because we've put our heart and soul in a business that we love. My husband and I are best friends who motivate each other each and every day and we have a strong support group from i9 Sports that helps us push through tough times.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
Our biggest challenge has been keeping up with the competition and ensuring we are doing everything possible to keep our customers happy. It’s takes a lot of discipline to do the customer research necessary to stay on top of new trends and ensure we are satisfying customer needs. This is a daily challenge that consumes most of our time but we make it happen because we know how important it is.
Additionally, it has been a challenge to develop relationships with schools and other organizations that can help drive seasonal registration for our leagues. However, the i9 Sports home office helps us compensate by being ahead of the game as far as the traditional and online marketing support they provide us.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?
If I could change one thing about our business, it would be to increase the size of our territory. We love this business so much that we wish we could reach out to more families in more communities. We will be ready and willing to expand if and when additional territories become available in the greater Miami area.

What was your childhood ambition?
My original ambition was to work as a social worker and I devoted my career to this working with kids at schools. I loved working with families and kids and enjoyed providing them with therapy and other services. While I did love helping people lead better and more rewarding lives, the daily grind of that demanding career burned me out.
When Alex and I decided to own our business, we both wanted to continue helping people but in a way that allowed us to focus on our family’s happiness and well being, too. That’s exactly what i9 Sports allows us to do every day.

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire?
1. i9 Sports Owner, Greg Weinbrum – Greg is the Broward, FL owner and he has been our mentor since joining the i9 Sports family. He has always given us fantastic advice on how to make it as an i9 Sports owner and has been there for us anytime we face a tough challenge. He is a savvy owner from whom we’ve learned a great deal.
2. Five Star Jewelers Owner, Jorge Carvajal – Our dear friend, Jorge, built Five Star Jewelers from scratch. We learned a lot watching him turn a new concept into a multi-location success story. We admire his ambition and his unwavering drive to succeed.
3. Independent Photographer, Carlos Barquin – I speak with Carlos almost every week because he’s as devoted to goal setting and creating a vision for the future as I am. His visions and ideas are very creative and it’s helped my husband and I develop innovative solutions to tough problems. Like Jorge, he built his own business in Miami from scratch and has made it a success.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
In my opinion, breakfast is most productive because all parties are motivated and ready to act on ideas. In the morning, we are excited to start the day and are more open to new ideas. Plus, you have the whole day ahead of you to make progress and build off of good ideas.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success? For more than a year, I worked multiple jobs in order for us to open our i9 Sports location. Each and every day, I worked as a social worker throughout the day, took care of the kids in the late afternoon and evening, and spent my nights helping Alex with operational tasks associated with our i9 Sports business. This clearly took its toll on me personally and professionally, but it was well worth it to become a part of the i9 Sports family.

What is your favorite quote?
"It's who you know." There’s no ignoring it - the more connections you have in the community, the more people you know, the better off you'll be. If you know people in influential positions, you're more likely to be successful.

Is it difficult to be unconventional?
No – it's natural for us. It's what we are supposed to be doing. We were hungry to own our own business and control our own lives. In fact, being “conventional” would be harder.

Biggest mistake made?
We've made A LOT of mistakes getting this started, but we've surrounded ourselves with such great connections/resources that we've been able to fight through. It's been difficult to ensure that each parent, coach and kid affiliated with our programs lives up to the i9 Sports standards. At the beginning, we let too many people slide and it had a negative impact on our program. Now, we are much more strict about our rules, regulations and philosophy and it’s working.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
I guess you could consider Alex and I innovators. We are always networking with other professionals in Miami and are eager to discover new and creative ways to run our leagues. We aren’t afraid to shake things up or try new tactics if we believe it will have a positive impact on our business.

About the company
i9 Sports®, based in the Tampa Bay, Florida area, is the first and fastest growing franchise of youth sports leagues, camps, and programs in the United States . An i9 Sports league is in your area and growing strong. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, i9 Sports offers the most popular team sports for boys and girls ages 3-14 with a focus on fun, safety, and good sportsmanship.
 Because each league is individually owned and operated by carefully screened and certified local franchise owners, participants enjoy the many benefits of a well-organized national sports organization with a personal touch in the local community.
 Entrepreneur Magazine ranked i9 Sports #256 in the prestigious Franchise 500® issue and the 15th Top New Franchise in America; while the Franchise Business Review named i9 Sports the #1 Sports, Recreation, & Fitness franchise.
CEO Frank Fiume founded i9 Sports from his passion for youth sports and a desire to create a fun alternative to other youth sports leagues.

Yolanda Schon > www.seniorhelpers.com

Yolanda Schon, Owner & Founder, Senior Helpers 

What do you need to be an entrepreneur?

Becoming an entrepreneur requires a lot of personal and professional sacrifice but it’s worth it.

What did inspire you to start your business?

I opened my Senior Helpers location based on the experience I had with my aging mother that came to live with my family after my father died.   I wanted to make sure other families in our area had better senior care options when they faced the same situation we did.

How did you finance it? 

I invested everything I had in my Senior Helpers location.   I invested all of my savings and a mortgage on my house.

Being Hispanic… Does it have any influence on your business?

Oftentimes, I feel like being Hispanic is a detriment to my business.  I have an accent, and people are often turned off when they hear it.

In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going? 

I face a lot of adversity as an independent business owner but I’m able to keep going due to the undying support from my loving family.

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

My biggest challenges are the prevalent mentality among potential customers that in-home care should come at little to no cost and the strict state regulations I face in Florida.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?  

There are some instances where families I speak with only consider price when making a decision about caring for a loved one.   As someone who personally understands how important it is to provide elderly loved ones with attentive and delicate care, I wish more people would realize that the needs of the client are more important than just the price.

What was your childhood ambition?

I always wanted to be my own boss and I’m happy to say I’m living my childhood dream each day!

Tell us about three entrepreneurs that you admire? 

All of the entrepreneurs I admire are local heroes and family friends and my dad is certainly my hero.  I learned a lot watching him.  Anytime something went wrong for him, he had this innate ability to pick up the pieces and start all over again.  My uncle had a similar influence on me.  It was exciting watching him and my Dad both create empires based on their own ideas.

For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner? 

Definitely breakfast.

What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success? 

I wouldn’t consider myself a success (yet) because I have very high expectations of myself.   However, I have to say being on call 24 x7, rarely enjoying weekends, and having little time for a personal life is tough.

What is your favorite quote? 

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
- Michael Jordan

Is it difficult to be unconventional?

I don’t know how people see me but I consider this whole experience pretty natural for me as I have always planned to own my own business.

Biggest mistake made?

Not starting my own business earlier! This is what I was born to do – I should have been doing it long ago.

Do you consider yourself an innovator?

Why? You might say I am an innovator because I looked for the opportunity to do something new and different.  But in reality, I consider myself a “re-novator” because I took a business model that was already in place and have altered it so that it fits my local market.   I like being creative with a proven and established business concept.

About the company

Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a nursing or assisted living facility. The company has nearly 300 franchises in 40 states and one Canadian province offering a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care. For more information, please visit: http://www.seniorhelpers.com/